Pete Saenz

This page was current at the end of the official's last term in office covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Pete Saenz

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

Mayor of Laredo

Successor: Victor Treviño

---

Report an officeholder change

Education

High school

St. Joseph's Academy

Bachelor's

Texas A&I University

Graduate

Texas A&I University

Law

St. Mary's University School of Law

Pete Saenz was the Mayor of Laredo in Texas. Saenz assumed office on November 12, 2014. Saenz left office on December 28, 2022.

Saenz ran for re-election for Mayor of Laredo in Texas. Saenz won in the general runoff election on December 13, 2018.

Mayoral elections in Laredo are nonpartisan. Media outlets have reported that Saenz identifies as an independent.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Saenz holds a B.S. and an M.S. in animal science and range management from Texas A&I University and a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law. His professional experience includes working as a Range Conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and owning his own legal practice.

Elections

2022

See also: Mayoral election in Laredo, Texas (2022)

Pete Saenz did not file to run for re-election.

2018

See also: Mayoral election in Laredo, Texas (2018)

General runoff election

General runoff election for Mayor of Laredo

Incumbent Pete Saenz defeated Roque Vela in the general runoff election for Mayor of Laredo on December 13, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Saenz (Nonpartisan)	64.5	13,978
		Roque Vela (Nonpartisan)	35.5	7,698

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,676
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

General election for Mayor of Laredo

Incumbent Pete Saenz and Roque Vela advanced to a runoff. They defeated Charlie San Miguel, Avelino Juarez, and Randall Walden in the general election for Mayor of Laredo on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Pete Saenz (Nonpartisan)	47.7	21,864
✔		Roque Vela (Nonpartisan)	27.9	12,814
		Charlie San Miguel (Nonpartisan)	20.4	9,358
	Submit photo	Avelino Juarez (Nonpartisan)	2.2	988
	Submit photo	Randall Walden (Nonpartisan)	1.8	827

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,851
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Laredo, Texas municipal elections, 2014

The city of Laredo, Texas held elections for mayor on November 4, 2014. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was August 18, 2014. Candidates included Guadalupe Botello, Rolando S. Herrera, Jose S. Dorantes Jr., Pete Saenz, James Joel Newland, Cindy Liendo and Jerry Garza. Pete Saenz was the winner. Incumbent Raul G. Salinas was ineligible to run for re-election due to term limits.

Mayor of Laredo General Election, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Pete Saenz	53.3%	12,831
Guadalupe Botello	4.2%	1,003
Rolando S. Herrera	1%	252
Jose S. Dorantes Jr.	0.5%	112
James Joel Newland	1.1%	258
Cindy Liendo	19.1%	4,586
Jerry Garza	20.5%	4,924
Write-in	0.4%	91
Total Votes		14,456
Source: City of Laredo - 2014 Official Election Results

Campaign themes

2014

On his campaign website, Saenz highlighted the following issues:
Education

• Excerpt: "In order to attract employers who are willing to pay higher salaries, benefits and flexible work schedules that allow time with family, the City of Laredo and our educational institutions must work together. We must be “joined at the hip”, in purpose and action, to better educate and train our students in order to meet the current and future workforce needs and challenges of our community."

Water

• Excerpt: "Water is essential for the future growth and economic development of Laredo. Our community must secure a secondary source of water that is independent from the Rio Grande. Laredo, jointly with other surrounding communities, should explore the possibilities, develop a portfolio of options and create a long-term secondary source of water plan."

Noteworthy events

Events and activity following the death of George Floyd

See also: Events following the death of George Floyd and responses in select cities from May 29-31, 2020

Saenz was mayor of Laredo during the weekend of May 29-31, 2020, when events and activity took place in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd. Events in Laredo, Texas, began on Saturday, May 30, 2020, at city hall. No curfews were issued. The national guard was not deployed.

To read more about the death of George Floyd and subsequent events, click [show] to the right.

On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested Floyd, a Black man, after receiving a call that he had made a purchase with a counterfeit $20 bill. Floyd died after Derek Chauvin, a White officer, arrived at the scene and pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck as Floyd laid face-down on the street in handcuffs. Both the Hennepin County Medical Examiner and an independent autopsy conducted by Floyd's family ruled Floyd's death as a homicide stemming from the incident. The medical examiner's report, prepared by Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson, said that it was "not a legal determination of culpability or intent, and should not be used to usurp the judicial process." On April 20, 2021, Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter in relation to Floyd's death. Floyd's death was filmed and shared widely, leading to activity regarding racism, civil rights, and police use of force. The first events took place in Minneapolis-St. Paul on May 26. An event in Chicago organized by Chance the Rapper and Rev. Michael Pfleger took place the same day, making it the first major city outside of Minneapolis to host an event in response to Floyd's death.

See also

• Laredo, Texas
• Laredo, Texas mayoral election, 2014
• United States municipal elections, 2014
• Mayoral election in Laredo, Texas (2018)

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Mayor of Laredo 2014-2022	Succeeded by Victor Treviño